MAHARASHTRA   STATE   PHARMACY   COUNCIL

 In India, Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council is a statutory body constituted by the Government of Maharashtra under the provisions of the Pharmacy Act of 1948 consisting of six members elected by registered pharmacists amongst themselves, five members nominated by Government of Maharashtra, one member elected by Maharashtra Medical Council and three Ex-Officio Members.  The main objective of the Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council is to regulate the profession of pharmacy in the state of Maharashtra.

 The prime function of the Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council is to grant registration to the eligible pharmacists possessing requisite qualification as per the provisions of section 32 (2) of the Pharmacy Act and to enforce the necessary provisions of the Pharmacy Act 1948.

 Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council has state of the art office at its premises at Mulund, Mumbai. Entire office is air conditioned with adequate sitting arrangement for pharmacists, convenient counter for paper work as well as cash receipt, a lecture hall of capacity of 45 pharmacists to undergo Continuous Education (CE) and a very good infrastructure. At Council, all the data of registered pharmacists is computerized and one can trace the registration number & other details, sitting at home from the website (www.mspcindia.org). Various procedural forms can be downloaded by the applicant from this website. Routine procedure of registration is now much faster, if proper documents are submitted at the time of registration.

 Apart from issuing registration certificate, council also has started issuing Pharmacist’s Professional Profile (PPP) as professional Identity Card to registered pharmacists. PPP will also be useful to check the malpractices in the profession.

 As per the provision of section 26 of the Pharmacy Act, council has appointed hon. Pharmacy Inspectors to implement the provision of section 42 of the Pharmacy Act, i.e. Dispensing of medicines by unregistered persons. Inspectors submit report to the registrar, based on which various letters are sent to the organizations, to achieve the objective of implementing the provision of section 42 of the Pharmacy Act.

 Professional Misconduct is one more area where council has been vigilant, following the provision of section 36 of the Pharmacy Act & Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council Rules 1969. Upon the receipt of complaint from a person or an institute, council has followed the specific provisions and penalized the concerned pharmacists.

 In this world of fierce competition, taking into consideration the need to update the knowledge, council has started REFRESHER COURSES, 1-day course for Community pharmacists & 2-day course for Hospital pharmacists. The council has framed the syllabus for such courses with the help of teachers, professors of pharmacy colleges & experts from this field. Regular refresher courses have already begun at the lecture hall at council premises.